UK Social Welfare — Overview

The UK welfare system mixes two models. National Insurance (NI) contributions, deducted from wages, build entitlement to the State Pension, New Style Jobseeker's Allowance, New Style ESA and Maternity Allowance. Everything else is paid from general taxation: the National Health Service (NHS), which is free at the point of use for most care, and means-tested support such as Universal Credit, Child Benefit and help with rent. For newcomers, two things matter more than nationality: your immigration status and where in the UK you live.

Key points for immigrants:

• Devolution: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each run their own NHS, schools and student finance, so prescription charges, childcare offers and university fees differ by nation.
• No recourse to public funds (NRPF): most work, study and family visas carry this condition. It blocks means-tested benefits such as Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, Child Benefit and social housing, but not contribution-based benefits or statutory payments from your employer. Indefinite leave to remain (ILR) and citizenship lift it.
• Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS): most visa applicants for more than 6 months pay it up front and can then use the NHS from the day the visa starts.
• First registrations: apply for a National Insurance number if you do not have one, register with a GP, set up your UKVI account (eVisa) to prove your status, and register for Council Tax with your local council.

The areas at a glance

• Health — NHS free at the point of use; register with a GP; prescriptions cost £9.90 per item in England (2026) and are free in Scotland; IHS for visa holders.
• Pension — new State Pension of £241.30 a week for 35 qualifying years (2026–27), at least 10 years for any pension; State Pension age rising from 66 to 67 between 2026 and 2028; workplace pension auto-enrolment.
• Unemployment — New Style JSA (contribution-based, up to 182 days) and means-tested Universal Credit.
• Family — Child Benefit of £27.05 a week for the eldest child and £17.90 for each other child (2026–27), Universal Credit child element, free childcare hours and Tax-Free Childcare.
• Tax — tax year 6 April to 5 April; Personal Allowance £12,570, rates 20/40/45% (Scotland has its own bands); PAYE or Self Assessment; Statutory Residence Test.
• Housing — private renting reformed in England from 1 May 2026; deposit protection; Universal Credit housing costs; council and housing-association homes; Stamp Duty Land Tax when buying.
• Education — free state schooling from 5 to 16, education or training to 18 in England; university tuition up to £9,790 a year in England (2026–27) with income-contingent loans.
• Parental — 52 weeks of maternity leave with up to 39 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay; 1 or 2 weeks of paternity leave; Shared Parental Leave; 18 weeks of unpaid parental leave per child.

Things to watch

• The tax and benefit year starts on 6 April; most rates change every April. Figures here are for 2026–27 unless stated.
• Check your visa or eVisa for an NRPF condition before claiming anything.
• Rules outside England often differ. Use the GOV.UK page for your nation, or the Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish government sites.

Official guidance: GOV.UK: Benefits, GOV.UK: Public funds, GOV.UK: Apply for a National Insurance number, NHS

UK Healthcare (NHS)

The National Health Service (NHS), founded in 1948, is funded from general taxation and run separately in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. There are no insurance premiums: GP appointments, A&E, hospital treatment and surgery are free at the point of use for people who are entitled to NHS care. Some services, such as prescriptions in England, dentistry and eye tests, carry fixed charges.

How the system works

• Register with a GP (General Practitioner) first. In England anyone can register with a GP surgery for free, most surgeries accept online registration, and you do not need ID, proof of address or proof of immigration status to register. GP and nurse consultations are free for everyone.
• Specialists need a GP referral. You cannot book a hospital specialist directly, except in emergencies.
• Emergencies: call 999 or go to A&E. A&E treatment is free for everyone. For urgent but non-emergency advice, call 111.

Where you pay (England, 2026)

• Prescriptions: £9.90 per item. A 12-month prescription prepayment certificate costs £114.50. Prescriptions are free for children under 16, people aged 16–18 in full-time education, people aged 60 and over, people on certain benefits such as Universal Credit below an earnings limit, and pregnant women or those who had a baby in the last 12 months (with a maternity exemption certificate). Prescriptions in Scotland are free.
• NHS dentistry: fixed bands: Band 1 (check-up) £27.90, Band 2 (fillings, extractions) £76.60, Band 3 (crowns, dentures) £332.10. Finding a dentist taking new NHS patients can be hard in some areas.
• Eye tests and glasses: paid by most adults; free or reduced for some groups such as children.

Immigrants and the NHS

• Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS): most people applying for a visa of more than 6 months pay it with the application: £1,035 per year, or £776 per year for students, their dependants, Youth Mobility visas and applicants under 18 (2026). You can then use the NHS from the date your visa starts, in broadly the same way as a permanent resident; some charges, like prescriptions in England, still apply.
• No IHS is due for visitor visas or for applications for indefinite leave to remain.
• "Ordinary residence" decides entitlement to free hospital care in England. Non-EEA nationals subject to immigration control need ILR to be ordinarily resident; visa holders are covered through the IHS. Visitors may be charged for hospital treatment beyond A&E, so take travel insurance.
• EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who moved to the UK from 1 January 2021 for more than 6 months also pay the IHS; short-term visitors may be covered by an EHIC or GHIC.

Common pitfalls for newcomers

• Waiting until you are ill to register with a GP. Register as soon as you have an address.
• Assuming the IHS covers everything: prescription, dental and optical charges in England still apply.
• Not bringing medical records. A translated summary of diagnoses and medicines helps your new GP.
• Expecting short waits. Talking therapies and planned operations can have long waiting lists; private insurance supplements the NHS but does not replace it.

Official guidance: NHS: Register with a GP, NHS: Prescription charges, NHSBSA: Free prescriptions, GOV.UK: Immigration Health Surcharge, GOV.UK: NHS entitlements for migrants

UK Pension System

UK retirement income rests on three pillars: the State Pension, paid by the Department for Work and Pensions from National Insurance (NI) records; a workplace pension that employers must offer through automatic enrolment; and personal pensions you set up yourself. The State Pension is a flat-rate amount, so most people need the other two pillars to maintain their income.

State Pension

• Qualifying years: you need at least 10 qualifying years on your NI record to get any new State Pension and usually 35 years for the full amount. A year counts if you paid NI from work, received NI credits (for example while claiming Child Benefit for a child under 12, or certain benefits) or paid voluntary contributions.
• Amount: the full new State Pension is £241.30 a week (2026–27). It rises every April by the "triple lock": the highest of average earnings growth, CPI inflation or 2.5%.
• State Pension age is 66, rising gradually to 67 for people born from 6 April 1960; everyone born on or after 6 March 1961 reaches it at 67 (from 2028). A third review of it began in July 2025.
• You must claim it; it is not paid automatically. Deferring for at least 9 weeks increases it.
• Gaps: check your NI record and State Pension forecast online. Voluntary Class 3 contributions cost £18.40 a week (2026–27). Since 6 April 2026, voluntary Class 2 contributions can no longer be paid for time abroad, and Class 3 for periods abroad requires 10 years of prior UK residence or 10 years of qualifying contributions.

Workplace and personal pensions

• Automatic enrolment: your employer must enrol you if you are a worker aged 22 to State Pension age, earn at least £10,000 a year and usually work in the UK.
• Minimum contributions: 8% of qualifying earnings (between £6,240 and £50,270 a year): at least 3% from the employer and the rest from you, including tax relief. You may opt out, but you then lose the employer's contribution.
• Personal pensions (including SIPPs) also get tax relief.

Agreements with other countries and living abroad

• If you have fewer than 10 UK qualifying years, contributions paid in the EEA or Switzerland, or in a country with a UK social security agreement that covers benefits (such as the USA, Canada, Israel, Turkey, the Philippines or the former Yugoslav republics), may help you qualify. Each country then pays a pension for its own periods.
• Some agreements cover contributions only (Double Contribution Conventions): Chile, India, Japan and South Korea. They stop posted workers from paying into two systems, but they do not combine periods for a UK pension.
• The State Pension can be paid worldwide, but it is only increased each year if you live in the UK, the EEA, Gibraltar, Switzerland or a country whose agreement provides for increases; not in Canada or New Zealand, for example.

Common pitfalls for newcomers

• Leaving the UK with fewer than 10 qualifying years and no agreement country to count other periods: there is no refund of NI.
• Opting out of the workplace pension and losing the employer's contribution.
• Retiring to a country where the UK pension is frozen at its first rate.

Official guidance: GOV.UK: New State Pension, GOV.UK: Check your State Pension forecast, GOV.UK: Workplace pensions, HMRC: Reciprocal agreements, GOV.UK: State Pension if you retire abroad

UK Unemployment & Income Support

The UK has two kinds of help for people out of work. New Style Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) and New Style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) are based on your National Insurance (NI) record. Universal Credit (UC) is means-tested and has replaced income-based JSA, income-based ESA, Income Support, Housing Benefit for working-age people and tax credits. You can receive a New Style benefit and UC at the same time.

New Style Jobseeker's Allowance

• Conditions: you worked as an employee, are aged 18 or over and under State Pension age, live in Great Britain, work fewer than 16 hours a week and paid enough Class 1 NI contributions, usually in the last 2 tax years (NI credits can count for one of them).
• Amount (2026–27): up to £75.65 a week under 25 and £95.55 a week from 25.
• Duration: up to 182 days (about 6 months). Earnings can reduce it.

Universal Credit

• Who can claim: usually aged 18 or over and under State Pension age, living in the UK, with £16,000 or less in savings for the household. Couples make a joint claim. Most full-time students cannot claim.
• Standard allowance per month (2026–27): £338.58 (single, under 25), £424.90 (single, 25 or over), £528.34 (couple, both under 25), £666.97 (couple, one 25 or over). Extra amounts are added for children, housing costs, disability and caring.
• Savings over £6,000 reduce the payment; above £16,000 you cannot get UC.
• Work and UC: UC falls by 55p for every £1 you earn above any work allowance. If you have children or limited capability for work, you can earn £427 a month (with UC housing costs) or £710 a month (without) before it starts to fall.
• First payment usually takes about 5 weeks; you can ask for an advance, repaid from later payments. UC is paid monthly.
• Claimant commitment: you agree job-search tasks with a work coach. Missing them can lead to a sanction (a reduction of your payment).
• Benefit cap: total benefits for working-age households are capped, for example £1,835 a month for a couple or single parent outside Greater London (2026–27), unless someone earns at least £881 a month or an exemption applies.

New Style ESA

For people under State Pension age whose illness or disability limits their ability to work, based on NI contributions. During the 13-week assessment phase it pays up to £75.65 (under 25) or £95.55 a week (2026–27); afterwards £95.55 in the work-related activity group or £145.90 in the support group. You cannot get it together with JSA or Statutory Sick Pay.

Common pitfalls for newcomers

• No recourse to public funds: UC is a public fund and cannot be claimed on most work or study visas. New Style JSA and ESA are not public funds, so you may claim them if your NI record qualifies.
• Applying late: a JSA claim can be backdated by up to 3 months only in certain circumstances, so claim as soon as your job ends.
• Benefit fraud is a criminal offence and can affect later immigration and citizenship applications.

Official guidance: GOV.UK: New Style JSA, GOV.UK: Universal Credit, GOV.UK: New Style ESA, GOV.UK: Benefit cap

UK Family & Child Support

UK family support has three layers: Child Benefit, paid to almost all families with children; extra means-tested help through the child element of Universal Credit (UC); and help with childcare costs, which differs between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Child Benefit

• Who qualifies: people living in the UK who are responsible for a child under 16, or under 20 if the child stays in approved education or training.
• Amount (2026–27): £27.05 a week for the eldest child and £17.90 a week for each other child, usually paid every 4 weeks.
• High Income Child Benefit Charge: if you or your partner have income over £60,000, 1% of the benefit is repaid through tax for every £200 above it; above £80,000 it is repaid in full.
• Claim it anyway: while your child is under 12, Child Benefit gives the claimant National Insurance credits that count towards the State Pension. Higher earners can claim and opt out of the payments to keep these advantages.

Universal Credit child element

• £303.94 a month per child (2026–27), plus an extra £47.94 for a first child born before 6 April 2017. The two-child limit ended on 6 April 2026: the amount is now paid for every child.
• Extra amounts are added for a disabled child, and working parents can claim back up to 85% of childcare costs, up to £1,071.09 a month for one child or £1,836.16 for two or more.

Childcare (England, 2026)

• 15 hours for all 3- and 4-year-olds: 570 free hours a year, usually 15 hours a week for 38 weeks.
• Free Childcare for Working Parents: 30 hours a week for 38 weeks for children from 9 months to 4 years if each parent works and earns at least the minimum (for example £2,643.68 every 3 months for people aged 21 and over). Apply from when your child is 23 weeks old.
• Tax-Free Childcare: for every £8 you pay into a childcare account, the government adds £2, up to £2,000 a year per child (£4,000 for a disabled child). Not available if either parent's adjusted net income exceeds £100,000, or together with UC childcare.
• Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own schemes.

Other help

• Sure Start Maternity Grant: a one-off £500 for a first child (or a multiple birth) if you get certain benefits; claim within 11 weeks before the due date or 6 months after the birth. In Scotland, the Pregnancy and Baby Payment replaces it.
• Healthy Start: a payment card for milk, fruit, vegetables and vitamins if you are more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4 and get certain benefits (Best Start Foods in Scotland).

Common pitfalls for newcomers

• Public funds: Child Benefit, UC and the Sure Start Maternity Grant are public funds. They cannot be claimed if your visa has a "no recourse to public funds" condition.
• Not claiming Child Benefit at all and losing National Insurance credits for a parent who stays at home.
• Applying late for childcare codes: deadlines are tied to the start of each term.

Official guidance: GOV.UK: Child Benefit, GOV.UK: High Income Child Benefit Charge, GOV.UK: Free Childcare for Working Parents, GOV.UK: Tax-Free Childcare, Childcare Choices

UK Tax System

The main personal taxes are Income Tax and National Insurance (NI), both collected by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), plus Council Tax paid to your local council and VAT on most purchases. The tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April, and NI is a separate social-insurance contribution on top of Income Tax.

Income Tax (2026–27)

• Personal Allowance: the first £12,570 is tax-free. It is reduced by £1 for every £2 of income over £100,000, so it disappears at £125,140.
• England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 20% on £12,571–£50,270, 40% on £50,271–£125,140 and 45% above.
• Scotland has its own six bands on earnings: 19%, 20%, 21%, 42%, 45% and 48% (above £125,140).

National Insurance (2026–27)

• Employees (Class 1): 8% on earnings between £242 and £967 a week, and 2% above. Employers pay their own contribution on top.
• Self-employed: Class 4 at 6% on profits between £12,570 and £50,270 and 2% above. With profits of £7,105 or more, Class 2 is treated as paid without cost; below that you may pay voluntary Class 2 at £3.65 a week.
• NI builds entitlement to the State Pension, New Style JSA and ESA, and Maternity Allowance.

Filing and local taxes

• PAYE (Pay As You Earn): employers deduct Income Tax and NI from wages; most employees file nothing.
• Self Assessment: required if, for example, you are self-employed with income over £1,000, have rental or untaxed income, or have foreign income to declare. Register by 5 October after the tax year ends; file online by 31 January (paper returns by 31 October) and pay by 31 January. Late filing costs at least £100.
• Council Tax depends on your home's valuation band and your council. A single adult gets 25% off; households of full-time students do not pay.
• VAT is 20% on most goods and services, 5% on some (such as home energy) and 0% on most food and children's clothes.

Tax residence

• The Statutory Residence Test decides whether you are UK-resident. You are usually resident if you spend 183 days or more in the UK in a tax year; you are usually non-resident with fewer than 16 days (46 if you were not resident in the 3 previous years). In between, your UK ties decide.
• UK residents are taxed on worldwide income. Since 6 April 2025 the old "non-dom" remittance basis has been replaced by the 4-year foreign income and gains regime: new residents who were non-resident for at least 10 years can claim relief on foreign income and gains for their first 4 tax years.
• The UK has double taxation agreements with many countries, so tax paid abroad can usually be credited against UK tax.

Common pitfalls for newcomers

• Not checking your tax code and Personal Allowance in your HMRC online account: a wrong code means paying too much or too little tax.
• Assuming foreign income is ignored: once resident, it usually has to be reported through Self Assessment.
• Missing the 5 October registration deadline when you first need to file.
• Forgetting to register for Council Tax when you move in.

Official guidance: GOV.UK: Income Tax rates, GOV.UK: National Insurance rates, GOV.UK: Self Assessment, GOV.UK: Tax on foreign income, GOV.UK: Tax treaties

UK Housing

Most newcomers rent privately, and rents are highest in London and the South East. Social housing from councils and housing associations is cheaper but scarce, and help with rent now comes mainly through Universal Credit. Housing law differs between the four nations; the rules below are for England unless stated.

Renting privately

• Renters' Rights Act: since 1 May 2026, all assured shorthold tenancies in England have become assured periodic tenancies, with no fixed end date. "No-fault" section 21 evictions have been abolished: landlords can only end a tenancy on grounds set out in law, such as rent arrears or selling the property. Tenants can leave with 2 months' notice.
• Rent increases: once a year, by a formal notice with at least 2 months' warning; tenants can challenge an increase above market rent at the First-tier Tribunal.
• Deposits: at most 5 weeks' rent (if annual rent is under £50,000) plus a holding deposit of up to 1 week. The landlord must protect it in a government-approved tenancy deposit scheme within 30 days and tell you which one. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own schemes.
• Right to rent: before a tenancy starts, landlords must check that every adult tenant may rent in England. With an eVisa you prove this with a share code. Landlords must check all tenants and may not discriminate by nationality.

Help with rent

• Universal Credit housing element: for working-age tenants on low incomes, limited by the Local Housing Allowance for your area and household size and by the overall benefit cap. If your rent is higher, you pay the difference.
• Housing Benefit: new claims are now only possible for people over State Pension age or in supported or temporary housing.

Social housing

• Apply to your council to join the housing register. Homes are allocated by a points or banding system based on need, such as homelessness, overcrowding or a medical condition. Many councils use choice-based lettings where you bid for homes.
• Waiting times can be years in high-demand areas, and offers must usually be accepted quickly.

Buying a home

• Stamp Duty Land Tax (England and Northern Ireland, 2026): 0% up to £125,000, 2% to £250,000, 5% to £925,000, 10% to £1.5 million and 12% above. First-time buyers pay nothing up to £300,000 and 5% on £300,001–£500,000 if the price is £500,000 or less. Scotland (LBTT) and Wales (LTT) have their own taxes.
• Shared Ownership: buy a 10–75% share of a home and pay rent on the rest, if household income is £80,000 or less (£90,000 in London).

Common pitfalls for newcomers

• No recourse to public funds: the UC housing element, Housing Benefit and council housing are public funds and closed to most visa holders.
• Paying more than 5 weeks' deposit or several months of rent in advance; the Act limits rent payable before a tenancy starts.
• Not checking that your deposit is protected and that you received the scheme details.
• Not budgeting for Council Tax, energy and water bills, which are usually not included in rent.

Official guidance: GOV.UK: Private renting, GOV.UK: Guide to the Renters' Rights Act, GOV.UK: Tenancy deposit protection, GOV.UK: Council housing, GOV.UK: Stamp Duty Land Tax

UK Education

Education is devolved, so England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have their own school systems, exams and student finance. In all four, state schools are free and education is compulsory from about 5 to 16. University tuition is high in England, but eligible students borrow it through income-contingent student loans that are repaid only when they earn enough.

Compulsory schooling

• England: children must receive full-time education from the school term after their 5th birthday until the last Friday in June of the school year in which they turn 16. Most children start primary school (Reception) in the September after they turn 4.
• After 16 in England: young people must stay in full-time education, start an apprenticeship, or work or volunteer 20 hours or more a week with part-time education or training until 18. A 16 to 19 Bursary Fund helps with costs; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland pay an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA).
• State schools charge no tuition; parents usually pay for uniforms and trips. All infants in reception to year 2 get free school meals, and from the 2026–27 school year every child in a family on Universal Credit qualifies, whatever the income. Independent (private) schools charge fees.
• Apply for a state school place through your local council, which also explains each school's admission criteria.

Higher education (England)

• Tuition fees: universities can charge "home" students up to £9,790 a year for a full-time undergraduate course (2026–27; £9,535 in 2025–26).
• Student Finance England lends a Tuition Fee Loan paid directly to the university and a Maintenance Loan for living costs, up to £10,830 a year away from home outside London and £14,135 in London (2026–27), depending on household income.
• Repayment (Plan 5) for courses from 1 August 2023: 9% of income above £25,000 a year, collected through PAYE; any balance is written off 40 years after repayment starts.
• Student finance changes for courses starting on or after 1 January 2027; loans through the new Lifelong Learning Entitlement are also on Plan 5.
• Scotland: students who normally live in Scotland apply to the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS), which pays their tuition fees at Scottish institutions and offers living-cost support.

Immigrants and higher education

• Student finance usually requires UK or Irish citizenship or settled status (such as ILR), a home in England and 3 years of residence in the UK before the course starts. Students without home status pay higher international fees, which universities set themselves.
• Student visa (2026): application fee £558, the Immigration Health Surcharge, and proof of living funds of £1,529 a month in London or £1,171 a month elsewhere for up to 9 months.

Common pitfalls for newcomers

• Waiting to arrange a school place: contact the council as soon as you have an address, even in the middle of the school year.
• Assuming ILR alone guarantees student finance: the 3-year residence rule also applies.
• Not having foreign qualifications compared; universities and employers often ask for a statement of comparability from UK ENIC.
• Confusing nations: fees and loans depend on where you normally live and where you study.

Official guidance: GOV.UK: School leaving age, GOV.UK: School attendance, GOV.UK: Student finance, GOV.UK: Repaying your student loan, SAAS

UK Maternity & Parental Leave

The UK has several separate entitlements rather than one parental leave scheme: maternity leave, paternity leave, Shared Parental Leave, adoption leave and unpaid parental leave. People who do not qualify for employer-paid statutory pay may get Maternity Allowance instead.

Maternity leave and pay

• Statutory Maternity Leave: 52 weeks (26 weeks ordinary plus 26 weeks additional) for employees, whatever their length of service. You must take at least 2 weeks after the birth (4 if you work in a factory). It can start 11 weeks before the due week.
• Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP): up to 39 weeks: 90% of average weekly earnings for the first 6 weeks, then £194.32 a week or 90% of earnings, whichever is lower, for 33 weeks (2026–27). The last 13 weeks of leave are unpaid.
• SMP conditions: average earnings of at least £129 a week and 26 weeks' continuous employment with the same employer into the 15th week before the due week.
• Maternity Allowance: for the self-employed, people who changed jobs recently or earn too little for SMP. It requires work in at least 26 of the 66 weeks before the due week and pays up to £194.32 a week for up to 39 weeks (between £27 and £194.32 for the self-employed, depending on Class 2 contributions).

Paternity leave and pay

• 1 or 2 weeks, taken together or as two separate weeks, at any time within 52 weeks of the birth. Paternity leave is a right from the first day of employment.
• Statutory Paternity Pay: £194.32 a week or 90% of earnings, whichever is lower (2026–27). It still requires 26 weeks' continuous employment by the 15th week before the due week and earnings of at least £129 a week.

Shared Parental Leave and other leave

• Shared Parental Leave (SPL): the mother can end maternity leave early and the parents can share up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of Statutory Shared Parental Pay (£194.32 a week or 90% of earnings). Both parents must meet work and earnings tests.
• Unpaid parental leave: 18 weeks per child up to the child's 18th birthday, at most 4 weeks a year per child unless the employer agrees otherwise. Employees qualify; agency workers and the self-employed do not.

Health care in pregnancy

NHS maternity care is available to those entitled to NHS treatment, including visa holders who paid the Immigration Health Surcharge. In England, a maternity exemption certificate gives free NHS prescriptions during pregnancy and for 12 months after the birth; without the certificate you may be charged a penalty.

Common pitfalls for newcomers

• Visa status: SMP, Statutory Paternity Pay, Shared Parental Pay and Maternity Allowance are not public funds, so they can be claimed on visas with a "no recourse to public funds" condition. Means-tested help such as the Sure Start Maternity Grant cannot.
• Starting a new job late in pregnancy: you keep the right to leave, but may not qualify for SMP; check Maternity Allowance.
• Missing notice deadlines: tell your employer at least 15 weeks before the due date for maternity leave, and give 28 days' notice for paternity leave.
• Not reading your contract: many employers pay more than the statutory minimum.

Official guidance: GOV.UK: Maternity pay and leave, GOV.UK: Paternity pay and leave, GOV.UK: Shared Parental Leave and Pay, GOV.UK: Maternity Allowance, GOV.UK: Unpaid parental leave